Christmas tree stand with multicolored base light ring



Feb. 10, 1970 H w. s o ERL. 3,495,033

CHRISTMAS TREE STAND WITH ULTICOLORED BASE LIGHT RING 'Fil'ea ma 9. 1967 INVENTOR Hans n. .Spaer/ BY 21% a.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,495,083 CHRISTMAS TREE STAND WITH MULTICOLORED BASE LIGHT RING Hans W. Spoerl, 2819 th Ave. 8., Great Falls, Mont. 59401 Filed May 9, 1967, Ser. No. 637,253 Int. Cl. F2lp 1/02; A47g 33/16 US. Cl. 240- 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The annular lighting assembly of this invention includes a centrally disposed tree trunk supporting and bracing portion adapted to engage and prop an associated Christmas tree trunk in an upright position. The light assembly includes an annular housing in which the circumferentially spaced illumination means are disposed and the housing is provided with an annular top wall having light openings formed therethrough at points spaced circumferentially thereabout with which different colored light transmitting and filtering panels are operatively associated so as to filter the light from the illumination means passing through the openings in the top wall. In addition, the annular housing is supported from the center tree trunk supporting and bracing portion by means of generally radially extending and upwardly opening arcuate support arms which are somewhat resilient and therefore the annular housing is resiliently supported from the tree trunk engaging and supporting portion of the invention.

The main object of this invention is to provide a lighting assembly which may be utilized to illuminate an associated Christmas tree with various colored light rays and which therefore may be utilized, in conjunction with nonself-illuminating Christmas tree trimming to provide the desired effect of different colored lights on a Christmas tree without conventional strings of Christmas tree lights being used. Of course, the lighting assembly may also be utilized in conjunction with Christmas trees which are also provided with conventional strings of Christmas tree lights. However, the operability of the lighting assembly to be used in conjunction with a tree not having conventional strings of Christmas tree lights thereon adapts the lighting asembly of the instant invention for use in conjunction with display trees other than Christmas trees.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lighting assembly in accordance with the immediately preceding object and including means by which an associated display tree may have its trunk portion supported in an upright position.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a lighting assembly which will render the effect of different colored lights moving about the associated tree but which will have the sources of illumination therefor stationarily supported relative to the associated tree.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lighting assembly constructed in a manner whereby the illumina tion means thereof may be adjusted, at least to some extent, so as to adapt the lighting assembly for use in conjunction with different size trees.

3,495,083 Patented Feb. 10, 1970 A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide an assemblage in accordance with the preceding objects which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long-lasting and relatively troublefree in operation.

These, together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing through the trunk portion of a Christmas tree and spaced slightly above the tree stand;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates a Christmas tree including a trunk portion 12 whose lower end 16 is devoid of branches. The stand is referred to in general by the reference numeral 18 and includes six generally radial arms 20 joined at their inner ends by means of a fastener 24 carried by the lower end of an upwardly opening and downwardly tapering receptacle 26 in which the lower end 16 of the trunk portion 12 is received. The receptacle 26 includes an upwardly projecting spike 28 upon which the lower end 16 of the trunk portion 12 may be impaled, and the receptacle 26 further includes circumferentially spaced upwardly projecting brackets 30 having thumb screws 32 threadedly engaged therewith and which pass through circumferentially spaced portions of a bracing ring 34 spaced above the upper end of the receptacle 26.

A plurality of arcuate and upwardly opening, as well as generally radially extending support arms 36 have their inner ends secured to corresponding circumferentially spaced portions of the open upper end of the receptacle 26 as at 38 and their lowermost mid-portions 40 secured to the outer end of the corresponding arms 20 by means of fasteners 42.

An upwardly Opening trough-shaped and annular housing referred to by the reference numeral 44 is supported from the outer ends of the support arms 36 and the housing 44 has a plurality of electric light assemblies generally referred to by the reference numerals 46 disposed therein whose lower end portions 48 are secured through the bottom of the housing 44. Each of the light assemblies 46 includes an upwardly opening cup-shaped reflector 50 provided with a slot 52 through which the body of the corresponding light assembly 46 is secured whereby each of the reflectors 50 may be somewhat inclined so as to reflect the light from the light bulb 54 of the corresponding light assembly 46 inwardly and upwardly relative to the tree 10.

Of course, the light assemblies 46 may be suitably electrically connected to a source of electrical potential by means of conductors 56 and 58 extending through the body portions of the light assemblies 46 and outwardly through the bottom of the housing 44.

The housing 44 includes an annular top wall assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 60 including concentric inner and outer depending flange portions 62 and 64 which are loosely telescoped over the concentric inner and outer upper marginal edge portions 66 and 68 of the housing 44. A plurality of notched support brackets 70 are supported from the upper marginal edge portions 66 and 68 at points spaced circumferentially thereabout and each support bracket includes journalled horizontal and vertical rollers 72 and 74 which are rollingly engaged with the adjacent undersurface portions of the top wall 60 and the adjacent inner surface portions of the flange portions 62 and 64. Accordingly, the top Wall assembly 60 is supported for rotation from the housing 44.

The top wall assembly 60 has a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings 76 formed therethrough registerable with the light assemblies 66, and each opening 76 has a light transmitting and filtering panel 78 removably secured thereover by means of a plurality of suitable clips 80.

A horizontally inwardly projecting support bracket 82 is carried by the housing 44 and supports an electric motor 84 at its inner end including a rotatable output shaft 86 upon which a rubber-coated friction drive wheel 88 is mounted. The friction drive wheel 88 is disposed in frictional rolling contact with a rubber strip secured about the flange portion 62 and therefore operation of the motor 84 will cause the top wall assembly 60 to rotate relative to the housing 44.

In operation, after the tree has been suitably supported upon the stand 18 in a manner best appreciated from FIGURE 2 of the drawings, the reflectors 50 may be adjusted as desired in accordance with the diameter and height of the tree 10. Then, the light assemblies 46 may be actuated and the motor 84 may be operated to cause the top wall assembly 60 to rotate relative to the housing 44. As the panels 78 move into registry with the light assemblies 46 the corresponding colored light will be cast upwardly along the outer portions of the tree 10. Of course, each of the panels 78 may be of a different color and therefore each light assembly 46 may cast eight difierent colored rays of light upwardly along the tree 10 as the top wall assembly 60 is rotated through one revolution.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be restorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A tree lighting assembly comprising base means including portions thereof adapted to be spaced generally radially outwardly of and circumferentially about a tree trunk, said portions of said base means including illumination means operative to cast rays of light upwardly, a plurality of light filtering means movably supported from said base means for successive registry with said illumination means in a manner to filter said light rays, said base means including housing means in which said illumination means are disposed and said light filtering means including movable top wall means for said housing means including spaced light transmitting and filtering areas successively registerable with said illuminated means, said illuminating means being disposed in a generally circular path lying in a generally horizontal plane and said top wall means including a generally horizontally disposed annular member about which said areas are circumferentially spaced, said housing means comprising a generally annular portion in which said illumination means are disposed, said annular portion including concentric inner and outer upstanding marginal edge portions whose upper edges are generally coplanar, said annular member including depending inner and outer flange portions telescopically arranged relative to said inner and outer upstanding marginal edge portions, a driven wheel journalled from said housing means and drivingly engaged with said top wall means, said driven wheel being frictionally drivingly engaged with one of said depending flange portions.

2. A tree lighting assembly comprising base means including an annular portion adapted to be spaced generally radially outwardly of and circumferentially about a tree trunk, said portion including illuminating means operative to cast rays of light upwardly, a plurality of light filtering means including an annular member movably supported from said base means for successive registry with said illumination means in' a manner to filter said light rays, means carried by said base means for rotating said light filtering means, said base means including means for resiliently supporting said annular portion comprising radially extending elongated arms, said annular portion including concentric inner and outer upstanding marginal edge portions, and means for transmitting any vibration induced by said rotating means to said resilient supporting means comprising depending inner and outer flange portions loosely telescopically arranged relative to said inner and outer upstanding marginal portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,394,386 10/1921 Wilske 240l0.1 1,440,552 1/ 1923 Domeroy 24044.1 2,621,503 1'2/ 1952 Schaefer 240-81 2,915,620 12/ 1959 Robinson 240-1 0 NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner D. S. STALLARD, Assistant Examiner 

